


Shadow Chase

by aizawa_zawa



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: AU, Aged-Up Character(s), Band of thieves, Bokuaka - Freeform, Karasuno, M/M, captain kuroo, cherry blossum festival, daisuga - Freeform, iwaoi - Freeform, kurotsuki - Freeform, late 19th century/modern technology type of mix, mikadai, nekoma city, some violence, there will be fluff & some angst, thief tsukki, ukatake, vendors/merchants, vigilantes, yamayachi - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-19
Updated: 2018-09-27
Packaged: 2019-06-12 20:57:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 16,044
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15348564
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aizawa_zawa/pseuds/aizawa_zawa
Summary: Tsukishima Kei is a member of Karasuno, a group of thieves that take from the rich. He's great at stealing and hiding, it's what he does best. Kuroo Tetsurou is the new Captain of Nekoma City, and he plans on capturing Karasuno, especially one of the members known as the Shadow. Tsukishima will have to become one with darkness to not get caught.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Six of Crows is one of my all time favorite novels, & I just couldn't help but be inspired to write this. Tbh I'm not exactly sure how many chapters this will be, maybe just a few, so we'll see how it goes. Anyways, I hope you enjoy this first chapter, happy reading! ❤

The city was bustling with many tourists due to the Cherry Blossom Festival that was being held this week. Nekoma was one of the largest cities in the country that held the festival, attracting people from all over the world to view the blooming cherry blossoms.

More people, especially tourists, meant more things to steal. It was easier to steal from tourists since they were always distracted from sightseeing and they were careless about their belongings. With more foot traffic meant easier targets to pickpocket and for one to blend in with the crowd to not get caught.

The city’s guards, Vigilantes, were doubled on each street to watch the crowds. Their main concern at the moment was to make sure violence didn’t break out between natives and foreigners like the years prior. But regardless of how many Vigilantes were standing guard, fights always broke out.

Vigilantes were Nekoma’s guards; they would patrol the streets, arrest criminals, protect the citizens, and stand watch on huge events like the Cherry Blossom Festival. They would kill as well if the situation escalated to that point, but that has only ever happened a few times.

They were ranked between B, C, D, and E. Each Vigilante would be put on patrol and guard duty, but those roles mainly went to the D and E ranked guards. B and C ranked Vigilantes worked on the more exciting cases, like crime scenes, interrogations, investigations and such.

Being used to big crowds, Tsukishima swiftly strolled past tourists down Market Street, the most jam-packed vendor street. In honor of the festival, the tents for each vendors varied from coral, peach, salmon, and rose; with every other tent being striped in white and a type of pink.

Cherry blossom petals littered the tops of the tents and street.

Bypassing a family of six that appeared poor, Tsukishima’s sharp eyes searched amongst the crowd until he spotted his target, a middle-aged man wearing a lavish cashmere wool coat. He purposely side-stepped and bumped into the man.

“I’m so sorry, I wasn’t watching my step!” Tsukishima apologized, bowing.

The man brushed invisible lint from his shoulder. “It’s okay, accidents happen.” his accent sounded American.

When Tsukishima bowed he opened his eyes to look at the floor. “Oh, I think you dropped your wallet.” he bent down and picked it up, handing it to the man.

“Oh, why thank you! I would’ve been in big trouble if I lost this.” The man chuckled as he inserted his wallet back into his coat pocket.

“You’re welcome. Well, have a nice day.” Tsukishima smiled and continued on his way, making sure to hide within the crowd. Because of his height, he needed to hunch over to blend in.

Once he was five meters away, Tsukishima straightened, fingering the coins that were in a secret pocket inside his walnut colored vest. He pushed up his spectacles and smirked.

_Like taking candy from a baby._

He glanced around Market Street, searching for more easy targets who were distracted by the vendors.

Children in dirt stained rags screeched as they ran by him, laughing in glee as another meager child chased them with a stick.

A few tourists eyed the children in disdain, clutching onto their coin pouches for dear life.

As Tsukishima ambled through Market Street, he surveyed his surroundings. Each street vendor kept boasting about their products; ranging from fruits, vegetables, bread, cheese, meats, exotic animal meat, fish, sweets, jewelry, fabrics, footwear, trinkets, newspaper, books, perfumes, herbs, toys, and almost every other thing native to their country.

There was a fruit vendor two stations before the newspaper station Tsukishima was trying to get to. He tossed a coin at the short light brown haired vendor, which hit him on the forehead, and snatched an apple from one of the buckets.

He bit into the apple, juice running down his chin.

“Dammit, Tsukishima! Just hand it to me like a normal person!” the vendor yelled, massaging his forehead.

Tsukishima took another bite, unfazed by the short guy’s outburst and smiled. “This is a tasty apple, Yaku.”

“All my fruits are tasty, idiot.”

“Nah, they weren’t good last year.”

A tall white-haired man picked up Yaku before he could attack Tsukishima.

Yaku kicked at the air, face red and eyes blazing. “Put me down, Aone! That punk has it coming!”

Tsukishima chuckled to himself as he turned away. His eyes landed on a petite blonde in the next station-that sold sweets-as she handed a little boy a wrapped manjū. The young woman perked up when she saw him.

“Hey, Tsukishima! When did you guys get back?”

He leaned against the wooden post as he took more bites of his apple. “Hey, Yachi. And just last night. Where’s Tadashi?” he glanced around the area, searching for freckles and strands of hair sticking up.

“He had to use the restroom, but he should be back soon.”

Straight across on the other side of the street through the throngs of people, Tsukishima was able to spot his other friends that were also vendors. Matsukawa and Hanamaki’s herbs station was right across from Yachi and Yamaguchi’s station. On their right was the trinkets station whose vendors were Asahi and Goshiki. Both their stations were surrounded by tourists, and Yachi’s station was starting to get crowded as well as people were getting reeled in by the smell of sweets.

Tsukishima finished his apple, tossing the core into a trash bin behind Yachi. “I’ll wait for Tadashi over there.” he pointed at the newspaper station, pushing himself off the post.

She nodded in acknowledgement as she wrapped another manjū for a customer.

“Newspapers for sale! Read all about current events, especially on the Cherry Blossom Festival!” a small gingered young man shouted, waving around the newspaper in his hand and jumping high.

“Don’t scream or jump, Hinata, you’re chasing away all your customers.” Tsukishima teased.

Hinata scowled. “Back off, Tsukishima. Your giant body’s blocking the customers.”

“Then I’m doing them a favor.”

“Don’t start fighting.” Warned a soft, stern voice.

Tsukishima glanced behind Hinata as he recognized his boss’s boyfriend, Sugawara, organizing the stacks of newspaper on the counter. Before he can apologize, he hears a familiar voice.

“Tsukki, it’s been so long!” Yamaguchi cried, embracing Tsukishima in a tight hug.

Tsukishima smiled and gently pushed him away. “Don’t exaggerate, Tadashi. How’ve you been?”

Hinata returned to shouting and jumping about the newspapers for sale, scaring off a few tourists from his high jumps.

“I’ve been good. Tourists have been buying our sweets since the festival started yesterday.” Yamaguchi grinned proudly.

“I bet.”

“How was the…” Yamaguchi lowered his voice, “the job?”

Tsukishima pulled Yamaguchi inside the newspaper station, out of earshot from everyone except Suga. “It went very well.”

Tsukishima arrived back to Nekoma the night before. Daichi, the boss of the band of thieves known as Karasuno that Tsukishima was in, sent him and a few others on a job to another city for three weeks. A friend of Daichi needed help stealing a painting from some millionaire, so Tsukishima and others were sent to help.

It was tiresome traveling four hours to another city, especially with Tendou and Futakuchi tagging along. Tsukishima was grateful that Akaashi went too because if not he would’ve gone crazy.

Tendou wouldn’t stop singing and Futakuchi wouldn’t stop complaining.

Even though Tsukishima’s only been a member of Karasuno for two years, going out to do “jobs” was still fairly new to him. But Tsukishima was a great thief; he was tall, swift, stealthy, and fast, which is why Daichi recruited him.

After a year of knowing each other, Daichi offered Tsukishima to join Karasuno. Tsukishima knew a few of the members and knew they were thieves. At first, Tsukishima didn’t want to join. He wasn’t a thief (even if he had stolen before) but Daichi convinced him that if he joined, Tsukishima would no longer have to worry about going to sleep hungry. It took a while for him to contemplate the offer, but with no family, only Yamaguchi as his best friend, Tsukishima accepted to join.

There were currently ten total members in Karasuno with Daichi as the boss.

When Daichi was a child he lost his entire family to a house fire and was placed in a foster home. His foster parents, Ukai and Takeda, looked after five children, Daichi included, but they were poor, so food, water, medicine, and clothing were scarce. Daichi’s foster family lived in the impoverished side of the city, and regardless if his foster parents asked the mayor and city council members for help, their pleas were always ignored.

It was during the beginning of Daichi’s teenage years that he began to steal. And boy, was he great at it. His foster parents were appalled when Daichi began bringing home pouches filled with coins and jewelry, demanding that he return the items and money he stole. A dew days later, one of the younger orphaned child became gravely ill. Daichi gave the money he saved to his foster parents so that they may pay a doctor and buy medicine.

Soon, his foster parents became on board with Daichi’s thievery. The city wasn’t going to help them or anyone that was suffering, so they decided to take matters into their own hands. As time progressed, Daichi recruited two of his foster siblings, Kiyoko and Tanaka, and together they would steal from the rich—only the rich.

It took a while for Ukai and Takeda to save but eventually they were able to buy a bigger home. After Daichi turned eighteen, he moved out and bought his own spacious home. Kiyoko and Tanaka soon moved in with Daichi. By that time, they had recruited others and Daichi decided to name their group Karasuno. Once a person became a member they moved into the home Daichi owned.

It was easier to keep tabs on the members, talk about their plans, and each person that joined had to be someone who could be fully trusted and great at thievery. Daichi also liked to be cautious in case if the Vigilantes caught wind of one of them.

Tsukishima was the last person to join the group, his first year he wasn’t allowed to go on a job yet, so he just stole from people on the street until a year ago when Daichi started sending him out with the others. Usually their jobs consisted of going to someone’s house, either in Nekoma or another city, to steal something extremely valuable. A few times they’d be contacted by someone to steal something, like the job Tsukishima just came from. Sometimes they also stole from businesses but those were rare.

“What about the travel?” Yamaguchi asked.

“A pain in the ass.”

Yamaguchi laughed, hand over his mouth.

“So,” Tsukishima rested his hand on his waist, “anything new going on?”

“Well, I’m sure Daichi already told you about the new Captain that got transferred here about two weeks ago.”

“He did. How are things under his command?”

“To be honest, things have been a bit calmer ever since the new Captain arrived. From what I’ve heard, the Vigilantes seem to hold a high respect for him.”

“That’s what the boss said. Karasuno’s been lying low these last two weeks because of that.”

Yamaguchi worriedly gazed at Tsukishima. “Be careful, Tsukki. We don’t know much about how this new Captain works, so keep an eye out.”

“Don’t worry, Tadashi, I’ll be fine.”

Yachi was getting swamped with customers at the station, so Yamaguchi excused himself to help her out.

“Is it alright if I stick around?” Tsukishima asked Suga.

The gray-haired man was flattening the boxes that the newspapers get delivered in.

“Sure, but can you give Hinata a hand while I finish cleaning?”

Tsukishima didn’t want to work with the high on candy man, but he had nothing else to do so he nodded, grabbing a pack of newspapers and joining Hinata out in the front.

“Come get your newspapers! Extra, extra, read all about it!” Hinata yelled, bouncing high on his feet. He turned to Tsukishima, frown on his childlike face. “Come on, Tsukishima, you gotta yell too.”

“Tch, no I don’t.”

“If you wanna stick around then yell.” Suga implored from behind.

Tsukishima rolled his eyes, quickly giving in. There was no point in arguing with Suga—he always won. Rolling up the sleeves of his tunic, he raised his voice. “Newspapers for sale! Come get your newspaper to learn all about the Cherry Blossom Festival!”

Hinata cheered victoriously and joined Tsukishima in shouting.

This wasn’t the first time Tsukishima’s done this. He was a newspaper boy before he joined Karasuno two years ago. He used to work with Suga and Hinata, and even though he didn’t work at the newspaper station anymore, Tsukishima sometimes helped because he liked hanging out there.

Tsukishima was surprised when he found out his former boss—Suga—was dating Daichi, who’s Tsukishima’s current boss. To this day Tsukishima still views Suga as his boss, and not because he used to work for him, but because he’s Daichi’s boyfriend.

Oh, what a small world.

Market Street was busy with many tourists buying from the vendors, and a few Vigilantes strolled by to make sure everything was in order.

One of the Vigilantes, Kageyama, warned Hinata to stop jumping because it scared the tourists. Hinata merely glared at the Vigilante, who had almost an evil smirk on his face. Tsukishima swore to himself that Kageyama purposely liked to pick on Hinata. Maybe it was because the ginger was short.

After an hour of selling newspapers, Tsukishima noticed that the crowd parted to let someone pass through.

He recognized the Vigilantes right away in their black uniforms with white details. Even though one didn’t have his signature hairstyle, his bright eyes weren’t hard to miss. It also wasn’t easy to ignore the other guard who was one of the most beautiful people Tsukishima’s seen. The two Vigilantes were Bokuto and Oikawa, flanking a person Tsukishima’s never seen before. He easily guessed that the person was the new Captain. The Captain wore a black uniform that was similar to the Vigilantes, but his uniform had red details and he wore a few medals and had the golden three-star insignia on his right breast pocket.

Bokuto’s light gray and black hair was in a slick side parted style. He was a B ranked Vigilante so on his right breast pocket he wore the silver two-star insignia. Bokuto was raised on the impoverished side of the city as well and he became a Vigilante to take care of his family. Daichi was upset at first because one of his oldest friends was now someone who can arrest him, someone who knew about Karasuno. But Bokuto assured Daichi that he wasn’t going to rat him out since Daichi helped the less fortunate citizens with the money he’d make from selling the items he’d steal. Just to be safe, Bokuto would alert Akaashi, to then inform Daichi, of his work schedule and when he’s patrolling so that he doesn’t have to arrest anyone from Karasuno if they were to ever get caught.

Oikawa’s brown hair is styled the same as Bokuto’s and he too is a B ranked Vigilante and dons the two-star insignia. He was raised in the upscale side of Nekoma and followed his father’s footsteps by joining the Vigilantes. Oikawa didn’t care much about his position, he merely joined to get his father off his back. It’s something to do and even though he hates working, it pays well, and he’d rather have his own money than his father’s. His smug and flippant attitude rubbed people the wrong way, especially the poorer ones, and he enjoyed being an asshole about how much money he had. Although, he did get along with a few of the indigent citizens in the city, especially Matsukawa and Hanamaki.

The new Captain was much different than his predecessor, Nekomata, in many ways. He was young, about two years older than Tsukishima, messy black hair with a fringe covering some of the right side of his face. Tsukishima thought that he too should have his hair styled like his inferiors. He was all sharp angles, sly eyes and smile, wearing a fitted double-breasted blazer that had a mandarin collar, dress trousers, and plain toe shoes. Tsukishima could tell that underneath the uniform was a strong toned body.

If he was being honest with himself, the new Captain was ridiculously attractive.

Tsukishima caught Yamaguchi’s gaze, the latter nodding slightly as if to say, “Yeah, that’s him”.

Unfazed by the Vigilantes and Captain, the tourists would part to let them pass but then regroup to continue shopping. Of course, they didn’t care since this wasn’t their city.

It was surprising to see Bokuto and Oikawa act so professional, but Tsukishima assumed it was because of the new Captain. Normally Bokuto would be loud and talking to the vendors, trying to use his status as a Vigilante to get free things. Some would see it as an abuse of power for Bokuto doing that, but the loud man just wasn’t savvy enough. He simply just liked getting things for free. Oikawa would also talk to the few vendors that tolerated his snooty personality and a few of them would even flirt with him but not today.

They stared straight ahead with their backs rigid and arms straight on their sides. It was actually quite a sight to see, especially since it was those two. Although if Tsukishima was being honest, the most incompetent Vigilantes were Lev and Koganegawa. Still, he couldn’t wait to get home and tell Akaashi.

The Captain took a small sniff of the air, noticed the sweets station and turned to Yachi and Yamaguchi, his sly smirk forming into a gentle smile. But his eyes remained the same.

Out of all the stations, why did the Captain have to stop at the one with the most nervous vendors? Yachi and Yamaguchi were slightly shaking, and Tsukishima knew that inside they were both yelling “Why me?!”.

With the Captain’s focus on the sweets, Bokuto quickly smiled and waved at Tsukishima, earning a nod from the thief. Oikawa smacked Bokuto but hypocritically turned to also smile and wave at Matsukawa and Hanamaki.

The Captain marginally bent forward and placed his index finger on the corner of his mouth as he thought about which dessert he wanted.

“Hmm, given the time of year it is and what the city is celebrating, I’d like a sakura mochi, please.”

Tsukishima could hear the Captain’s voice from where he was standing. It was deep and smooth, a voice that could get whatever he wanted. A pleasant shiver ran down Tsukishima’s spine.

Yamaguchi gulped. “S-sure thing, Captain.”

“That’s Captain _Kuroo_ to you, freckles.” Oikawa reprimanded.

The Captain straightened, folding his hands behind his back. “It’s no problem at all, Oikawa. As long as they address me with my correct title, then I have no problem.”

_Jeez, conceited much?_ Tsukishima scowled internally.

Yachi nervously helped Yamaguchi wrap the sakura mochi in a sheer pink bag, being gentle as to not squish the rice cake as she tied the top and handed it to Kuroo. He grinned, showing teeth that reminded Tsukishima of a predator that cornered its prey. He tipped Yachi and Yamaguchi handsomely, both who claimed it was too much, but Kuroo insisted they keep it.

“Newspapers for sale, get your newspaper!” both Tsukishima and Hinata shouted as Kuroo and the Vigilantes turned to continue their stroll.

Involuntarily, Tsukishima’s golden eyes landed on Kuroo, who met his gaze. Tsukishima knew that he should avoid the Captain like the plague, especially because of what he does for a living. The Captain knowing who Tsukishima is can become a problem for Karasuno. Tsukishima doesn’t know what overcame him, but he felt like he needed to make his presence known to Kuroo.

“Hello, would you like to purchase a newspaper?” Tsukishima asked him, focus unwavering from Kuroo’s cat-like amber eyes. He noticed then that he was an inch taller.

Hinata uncharacteristically quieted down, asking tourists in a calm voice if they would like to buy a newspaper.

Tsukishima knew Hinata was straining to hear their conversation.

The Captain looked down to read the cover of the newspaper.

The bolded headline read: THE CHERRY BLOSSOM FESTIVAL CONTINUES

Tsukishima carried on. “Everything you need to know about what’s going on in Nekoma City is in here.” He held up the periodical.

Kuroo’s feline gaze raked over Tsukishima’s body before snapping up to his face, lips curling into another predatory grin.

_Damn, he’s hot._

“But of course. As the new Captain, I must know _everything_ that goes on in my city to keep it safe from criminals.” His velvet voice is both cautious and tantalizing.

Tsukishima wondered how Kuroo’s moans sounded.

Instantly, he chided himself in his head, face turning the same color as the bag the sakura mochi is in. Where the fuck were all these thoughts coming from? He just barely met the Captain, which by the way Tsukishima shouldn’t have any contact with. He shouldn’t be thinking about Kuroo in that aspect at all.

“That’ll be two xens, please.” He handed Kuroo the newspaper, holding his palm face up.

Kuroo gave the newspaper to Bokuto as he dug inside his pocket to pull out his coin pouch. Without breaking eye contact with Tsukishima, Kuroo collected five xens. He smiled sweetly, but Tsukishima could feel it was fake.

Kuroo dropped each coin one by one into Tsukishima’s open palm.

“Here’s a little extra so that you can buy yourself something nice.” Kuroo taunted.

Bokuto’s right eye twitched and Oikawa pressed his lips tightly to not laugh.

Inside, Tsukishima was furious. He imagined punching the Captain, stealing all his coins and medals, and stomping on him for good measure. If only the Captain knew that Tsukishima didn’t need his charity. He calmed himself, he wasn’t about to give Kuroo that satisfaction.

So, he smiled and bowed. “Thank you, oh so gracious one for saving me today.” He preached sarcastically.

Bokuto couldn’t help it, he let out a snort. Oikawa tensed his entire body to not slip up like the other Vigilante.

Hinata began stuttering. “News-newspapers for s-sale…”

When Tsukishima straightened, he expected Kuroo to have a fuming expression. Nekomata hated smart mouths. He especially hated Tsukishima for all his snarky remarks.

However, instead of a snarl on Kuroo’s features, the Captain’s eyes softened ever so slightly as he chuckled.

“My, my, I see we have a porky mouth.” He claimed.

Tsukishima frowned. _Porky?_

Bokuto, Oikawa, and Hinata all visibly relaxed.

“Well, thank you mister…”

“Newspaper boy.”

No way in hell was Tsukishima going to give the Captain his name.

Kuroo raised a brow, confused, before getting the hint. He smirked. “Alright, I’ll just call you Porky then.”

That caused Hinata to burst into laughter.

Tsukishima glared at Kuroo as he began to walk away, Bokuto and Oikawa flanking him. As the crowd gathered again after breaking apart to let them pass through, the Captain and Vigilantes disappeared.

“That was too close. Why’d you have to go and open your big mouth?” Suga chastised Tsukishima as he leaned over the wooden counter.

The latter turned around, eyebrows furrowed. “His face irritated me.”

Suga sighed. “Still, you shouldn’t become familiar to the new Captain. We don’t know what he’s like. Things were easier with Nekomata because he could be bribed. By the looks of it, this Captain takes his job seriously and will throw all of us in jail,” he snapped his fingers, “just like that. Market Street will be shut down.”

A few years ago, Ukai and Takeda purchased the land that Market Street is on. Wanting to give to the community to improve it, Ukai and Takeda only charged the residents a small fee for rent so that the merchants can sell their products and have money for their families. With the rent money, Ukai and Takeda would include it to their funds that went towards improving hospitals, schools, and homes.

So, it was important that Ukai and Takeda not get arrested because then many families would be affected.

“I’m sorry.” Tsukishima bowed. He couldn’t allow to screw up, especially since Karasuno is now his family.

“Just stay clear of the Captain and other Vigilantes, alright?”

“Yes, sir.”

“You don’t have to be so formal.”

* * *

 

The delicious aroma of curry wafted through Tsukishima’s nose as he played Go Fish with Akaashi and Kenma on the floor in the living room. Instead of occupying one of the three gray arm sofas, the thieves opted to use cushions to sit on the hardwood floor around the coffee table.

He closed his eyes and sniffed the air, mouth watering as he couldn’t wait for the food. Nishinoya and Terushima were in charge of cooking in the house, and they were the best damn cooks. Their food was the only food Tsukishima would eat entirely, the rarest of times he’d even ask for seconds. When it came to others’ cooking, Tsukishima would only partially eat their food.

Akaashi’s melodic giggle brought Tsukishima out of his daze. Akaashi held the cards against his face to hide his mouth.

“I wish I was there. That must have been a sight, to see Kou like that.”

Kenma wiggled his toes as he asked Tsukishima if he had any fives. “I didn’t think Bokuto was capable of acting mature.”

“He can be when he has to.” Akaashi stated, asking Kenma if he had any fours.

“Alright you beasts, foods ready!” Terushima yelled from the kitchen.

Tanaka and Tendou came running down the stairs, drool dripping from their mouths as they ran into the dining room.

Kiyoko emerged from the office to the right of the living room, scrunching up her nose slightly in disgust. “Don’t drool all over the floor, we just got it waxed.”

Tanaka and Tendou were already sitting when Tsukishima entered the dining room.

Like the rest of the seven-bedroom home, the walls were cream with white high ceilings and gray trims. There were wooden beams in the living and dining rooms, gray shag rugs were placed in the foyer, living room, and hallway upstairs. As well as having roman blinds, goblet curtains also decorated the windows for extra coverage. Besides the sofas and coffee table, the only other furniture in the living room was a wide five shelf bookcase, and two side tables with silver candlesticks.

Daichi liked the house to be plain but allowed his cohorts to decorate their bedrooms however they wished, except for painting the walls.

Akaashi and Kiyoko offered to set the table while everyone else took a seat. Daichi entered last, taking a seat at the head of the table and offering everyone a smile.

“You’ve been holed up all day in the office, boss. Everything okay?” Tanaka asked.

Daichi rolled his neck, relieving the tension he felt. “Yeah, apparently the Kobayashi’s are going to be out of town tomorrow night. Mrs. Kobayashi’s mother became ill, so the family’s leaving first thing tomorrow morning.”

Everyone was seated by then. Kiyoko took the other end of the table, Tsukishima, Akaashi, Kenma, and Futakuchi sat on one side while Tanaka, Nishinoya, Tendou, and Terushima sat across.

They were all staring at Daichi, eyes beginning to sparkle with excitement.

Daichi put his hands together, closing his eyes. Everyone followed suit, bowing and simultaneously voicing their gratitude.

As everyone began to eat, Daichi continued to speak after chewing.

“As we already know, the Kobayashi’s are a wealthy family. One of the wealthiest in Nekoma.”

Futakuchi asked the question everyone was already thinking about. “Which valuable item will we be taking?”

It was quiet for a few moments as Daichi finished chewing.

Nonchalantly, he answered, “Their medieval Broadsword.”

Tendou squealed, dark red eyes widening. “That’s easily worth 200,000 xens!”

“Whoa, we haven’t stolen anything that expensive here in Nekoma in some time.” Kiyoko claimed.

“Yeah, boss, do you think it’s a good idea to go after something that valuable with the new Captain?” Terushima questioned.

Daichi shrugged. “Honestly, it’s risky. Yet, everything we do is risky. The Kobayashi’s hardly ever leave their home, if they do it’s only for one night and we’ve never broken in because the family can arrive home any moment. However, they’ll be gone for a couple of days this time, and we should take advantage of that.”

“I agree,” Kenma started, “they’re a boring family that enjoy staying home. They don’t care much about vacations and such, they would rather sit on their wealth than spend any of it. Who knows when we’ll get an opportunity like this.” He took a sip of water. “Regarding the new Captain, we’ll just be extra careful and have two people tail him and report to the others his whereabouts.”

Daichi smirked. “Exactly right, Kenma.”

“Even though we just got back last night, can we still volunteer to join this mission?” Futakuchi asked.

“Hey, you guys already did a job, it’s our turn!” Tanaka growled.

“Tanaka’s right. Although,” Daichi glanced at Tsukishima, “to be safe, we need a shadow on this mission, both to dig up details and to join on the robbery.”

Tsukishima sat up straighter. “What do I have to dig up?”

“I need to know exactly where the sword is kept. A floor plan of the home would be helpful too for exit plans. Also, what day the Kobayashi’s are returning, if there’s any alarms or traps that we can avoid, and if they have guards.”

“Alright. By when would you like all this information?”

Daichi tilted his head. “You think you can report to me by tomorrow night?”

“Tch, I’m not some amateur.”

That made Daichi grin. “Great.”

“Who else will you be sending?” Nishinoya asked.

“You, Tsukishima, Tanaka, and Terushima. Kenma and Kiyoko will follow the Captain. The rest of us will be around the block watching the Vigilantes.” Daichi turned to look at Akaashi. “Do you know which days Bokuto isn’t working?”

Akaashi wiped his mouth with a napkin. “He’s off the day after tomorrow.”

“Good, we’ll move then.”

* * *

 

Tsukishima took one last look at himself in the mirror before throwing a dark hood over his head. He wore a vest over his black long sleeve tunic so that his forearm coverings blended in. His breeches were dark as well and he wore knee-high boots.

“Be careful.” Akaashi murmured and Kenma gave a small wave from his bed as Tsukishima opened their bedroom window.

Once he stabled himself on the ledge, Tsukishima effortlessly climbed up the wall, reaching the roof in a matter of seconds. Since their bedroom was on the second floor, it was just easier for Tsukishima to exit through the window rather than the front door.

Night had already fallen, and Tsukishima himself became the darkness.

His golden eyes gazed at the city surrounding him. The area where he lived was dimly lit, but the center of the city that was north of him was bright. It annoyed him that the Kobayashi’s lived in the most populated part of the city. He simply hated all the rich snobs that lived there.

After waiting a moment to adjust to the darkness, Tsukishima gracefully ran and jumped onto the roof of the next house. It was a bonus that the homes here were so close to each other.

Without breaking a sweat, Tsukishima jumped from roof to roof as he headed toward the bright lights. Every so often he’d glance down mid jump to check if anyone’s noticed him. So far, in the midst of the night he saw people doing drugs, drinking, playing card games, having sex, and gossiping. No one paid him any attention.

When he was about twenty feet away from entering the center of the city, Tsukishima climbed down the wall of a small house and hid in the shadows as he drifted closer.

Daichi informed him that Mr. Kobayashi has recently been visiting the Nohebi bar, no doubt to meet up with his paramour and to drink to his heart’s content.

Tsukishima used to frequent the bar before joining Karasuno. He’s gone back a few times when he felt like blowing off some steam. Now that he thought about it, it’s been some time since he’s seen Suna, one of waiters at the bar. Once he gathered all the intel he needed, Tsukishima decided that he should seek out the waiter for a quick romp.

It’s been awhile.

The neon green sign NOHEBI with a snake coiled around the name came into view. Tsukishima pushed through the double doors, instantly inhaling cigarette smoke and beer.

He almost gagged.

The bar was dim, green lights illuminating a few areas, but Tsukishima could still see clearly.

The owner of the bar, Daishou, was about to step into a back room with his girlfriend Mika before he spotted Tsukishima. Daishou stopped momentarily, snake eyes quickly glancing at a table in the back corner. Tsukishima nodded his thanks as Daishou and Mika disappeared into the back room.

Tsukishima glided around the occupied tables to take a seat behind the already drunk men. They didn’t notice him, too busy spewing out demeaning comments about their wives.

It was the silver haired heavy-set man’s turn to complain. Tsukishima focused all his attention on him.

“I hate that witch’s mother. A real old bitch-” hiccup “is what that woman is.” Mr. Kobayashi slurred.

His friends laughed, a few agreeing that they knew what it was like.

Mr. Kobayashi took another gulp of his beer. “Now that the old bitch is-is dying, the whore wants to go see her! Pfft, suddenly she lo-loves her mother now.”

_What a pathetic man._

A sea breeze cocktail was placed in front of Tsukishima. His eyes flickered up to see Suna giving him half a smile. The waiter merely winked before heading to another table to serve.

Even though the bar was busy, the few waiters and bartender managed to keep up.

Tsukishima took a sip of the fruity cocktail as he continued to eavesdrop on Mr. Kobayashi and his friends.

After two hours of listening in on them, Tsukishima deduced three things: when the Kobayashi’s will return, where the floor plans are located, and that Vigilantes _will_ be guarding the home.

That was all Tsukishima needed from them. He assumed that the floor plans will be in Mr. Kobayashi’s office since the man vented that’s where he spends most of his time to be away from his family. And with the floor plans he should also be able to learn about if there’s any alarms or traps as well as the sword’s location.

Tsukishima stood, deciding now would be a good time as any to sneak into Mr. Kobayashi’s office since the drunk man’s mistress finally arrived.

The double doors opened, and Tsukishima cursed.

Kuroo entered the bar, along with two different Vigilantes, Yukie and Ushijima.

Tsukishima pressed himself against the wall, hiding in the shadows. Out of all the damn bars Kuroo could have waltzed into, it had to be the one Tsukishima was at.

The Captain surveyed the bar once, amber eyes not catching Tsukishima’s hidden figure, before settling on four men sitting at one of the tables in the middle of the bar.

“Kindaichi Yuutarou, Kunimi Akira, Yahaba Shigeru, and Watari Shinji?” Kuroo asked in a low voice.

They nervously glanced at each other and then at the double doors.

“Y-yes?” Kindaichi answered.

“You four are under arrest for trafficking and distributing illegal substances. Now, please stand and don’t resist arrest.”

Kunimi grabbed his glass of beer and threw it at Kuroo before jumping out of his chair, dagger at the ready. The other three followed suit, all pulling out daggers or blades and standing beside Kunimi.

Both Yukie and Ushijima instantly retrieved their pistols, pointing them at the four men.

Kuroo had managed to smack the glass off to the side but beer still got on his uniform. He sighed heavily.

“This is a brand new uniform and now you’ve ruined it.” He snarled, eyes seeming to glow under the green lights.

Tsukishima almost gasped. Kuroo appeared like a feral black leopard, ready to tear apart his prey.

The bar had gone quiet as everyone watched with wide eyes. Daishou emerged from the back room, hair and clothes disheveled.

“What is the meaning of this?” he hissed.

“We came to arrest these men and this one,” Kuroo pointed at Kunimi, “attacked me.”

Daishou glared at them. “Just go, you imbeciles. Putting up a fight will only cause you more trouble.”

Kindaichi ignored him as he charged at Kuroo.

“Make sure his comrades don’t escape and get everyone out.” Kuroo commanded.

Yukie and Ushijima obeyed, the former rushing to the other three criminals while the latter ordered everyone else to evacuate.

_Shit, I need to go._

Tsukishima was glad he knew where the hidden back door was because the entrance was crowded as everyone tried to exit simultaneously.

“Don’t push or shove, calmly exit.” Ushijima growled.

Yukie shot Watari, grazing the man on his leg. He turned a table to hide behind it while Yahaba and Kunimi hid behind the counter bar.

When Kindaichi was about to strike, Kuroo quickly deflected the dagger with his katana, knocking the weapon out of Kindaichi’s grip. However, he pulled out another dagger from his back.

Daishou, Suna, and the rest of the workers were already out of sight, no doubt escaping through the back room at the very moment Kindaichi charged.

Tsukishima hid as he kept his eyes on the fight before him as he maneuvered down the uneven wooden wall, hands searching for the hidden lever.

A blade had pierced the leg of one of the customers and Ushijima was tending to the wound, Yukie turned a table to hide behind as she called for backup in her two-way radio as Kunimi and Yahaba continued to throw their daggers, blades, and anything else they could get their hands on. Kindaichi was surprisingly keeping up with Kuroo, but Tsukishima could see that the Captain was merely toying with him.

Tsukishima’s hand found the lever. He turned it and could feel a draft.

The injured Watari propped himself up on one of the tables, gray eyes focused on Kuroo’s back. The Captain swatted the dagger out of Kindaichi’s hand then knocked him out with the hilt of his katana, back still turned.

_Captain, turn around._

Watari threw his dagger at Kuroo, the accuracy of his throw even in an injured state was alarming.

Finally, Kuroo whirled, but he lifted his katana too soon to block the attack. His eyes widened. He doesn’t make mistakes like this.

Right before he’s impaled, a shuriken from his left hits the dagger, sticking it to the wall.

Kuroo can hear Watari curse, but he turned his attention to the wall on his left.

There’s no one there.

Backup Vigilantes finally arrived, outnumbering the three conscious criminals.

Kuroo sheathed his katana as Kageyama, Lev, Shirabu, and other Vigilantes arrested the men.

He remembered seeing the bar owner and his few staff members leave through the back room that’s beside the counter bar. Ushijima made sure all the customers were being rushed out of the bar, even though unfortunately one of them got injured in the process.

The other people that were left was himself, Yukie, and the four men. But where did the shuriken come from? The only possible answer was that someone else was in the bar, someone that was expertly hiding and watching from the shadows.

Kuroo recalled when he first met Shirabu, the Vigilante whose ambition was to move up the ladder. He remembered Shirabu informing him about criminals they haven’t caught yet because they don’t know who they are. These criminals were experts in their field, they knew when to strike, how to hide their tracks, hide their identities. Many valuable possessions have been stolen over the years and no one has ever caught or even _seen_ these thieves. One thing they do know is that it’s a group of them because no way in hell can it be one person committing those crimes.

However, there were rumors of some of these thieves and what people called them. Shirabu stated that one of them was called the Shadow because even though you couldn’t see them, they were always there, lurking.

Kuroo took one last glance at the wall where the shuriken came from.

_Could it be possible that the Shadow was here?_ _If so, for what reason?_


	2. Chapter 2

Tsukishima smugly stood before Daichi the next morning.

“I presume you were able to gather everything.”

“Yes, it wasn’t difficult.”

Daichi leaned forward in his desk chair as he gazed down at the floor plans of the Kobayashi’s home. Mr. Kobayashi had two floor plans, one that was the simple architecture of the home and the other had details about the alarms and of the sword’s location. It was a simple tactic to fool the thieves into thinking they found the actual floor plans so that the more important one remained hidden. However, Tsukishima wasn’t just some amateur, he knew where to search. Mr. Kobayashi wasn’t a smart man since a secret compartment in a drawer wasn’t the best place to hide his detailed floor plans.

Everyone that was going to infiltrate the mansion was in the office with Daichi and Tsukishima so that they could learn the layout of the mansion.

Terushima whistled. “Wowza, that is one big mansion.”

Nishinoya scoffed. “Who the fuck needs twenty bedrooms?”

“Apparently this asshole.” Tanaka commented.

Daichi stared intently at the mansion’s layout, eyes memorizing the rooms, hallways, windows, alarms, and exits. He was searching for one room in particular and everyone quieted down to let him concentrate. There was a list of the types of rooms and every room had a letter to help indicate which room it was. On the east wing there was a room with the letter T, for treasures. Mr. Kobayashi’s bedchambers however were on the west wing. Daichi truly doubted that the millionaire would sleep so far away from his prized possessions.

There were three rooms down the hall from Mr. Kobayashi’s bedchamber that were considered empty and Daichi knew that the sword was kept behind one of those doors. The treasures room might be real and there are possibly some hidden gems in it, but the unique Broadsword would definitely not be kept so far from Mr. Kobayashi, especially after he boasted about it so much after he acquired it and when low level thieves tried to steal it. He would have moved it closer to his bedchamber so that he could sleep better at night.

Daichi gave the floor plans another once over, already forming a plan of how and where to enter, which hallways and rooms to avoid, and the best escape routes.

“Alright, listen carefully, we can’t mess this up.”

* * *

 

Kuroo crossed one leg over the other as he surveyed his unit of Vigilantes sitting at the table. Shirabu was his right-hand man, someone he could trust, rely on, and that gathered all his intel. His best fighters were Ushijima, Yukie, Iwaizumi, and Bokuto. Kageyama and Oikawa were the strategists, and Lev and Koganegawa were excellent subordinates, always following orders.

They were in the conference room at the station, Kuroo calling them in for a meeting because he had questions regarding the Shadow and thieves. He was the newcomer in the city, so he needed to hear all the information they had.

Yukie crossed her arms. “I’ve only been living here for five years, but from what I’ve heard about these thieves, they only steal from the rich and their burglaries are erratic.”

Iwaizumi nodded. “Even if families are on vacation or someplace else, they will still break in into a filled house. I suppose it just depends what they wish to obtain, doesn’t matter if the residents are there or not.”

“Do any of you think they have some sort of objective?” Kuroo asked.

They all shrugged.

“I mean, what does anyone really steal for? Mainly to feed themselves and have somewhere to sleep.” Oikawa stated.

“That is true but given that this has been going on for years, surely they’re doing well by now.” Kuroo added.

“What if they do it just for fun? People do crazy things all the time.” Bokuto suggested.

Kuroo shook his head. “If so, they wouldn’t be so specific with their targets. Regardless, everything a person does in life has a meaning, a purpose. These bastards seem to be shouting ‘Even with all your wealth you still can’t have everything’ since they steal valuable items.”

“They seem to only steal the most of valuable possessions. We should contact every household to inquire about which of their items hold the most value. That way we can dictate which homes they might hit.” Kageyama proposed.

Oikawa sat up straighter. “We should also make a list of all the items they’ve stolen, as well as collect data on the dates and locations. Maybe we’ll find a pattern once we’ve gathered everything.”

Kuroo furrowed his brows. “Did Nekomata really not give a shit about what went on in this city? If he would’ve done his job like he was supposed to these thieves would have probably been arrested already.”

“Unfortunately, he was an incompetent Captain.” Shirabu admitted.

Kuroo sighed. “I had another question. What have you guys heard about the Shadow? Are there rumors of others that might be possibly involved with this band of thieves?”

“I’ve heard about the Shadow,” Koganegawa started, “many of the wealthy residents fear them because you never know when they’ll be listening in the dark.”

“Yeah, this Shadow person is dangerous because they can be in a room undetected, doesn’t matter if it’s a room full of hundreds of people or a single person.” Lev added.

“Other than them, I’ve also heard rumors about the Falcon.” Oikawa said.

Kuroo raised an eyebrow.

Iwaizumi nodded. “Oh, me too. Apparently, some of the victims felt as if they were being watched and followed a few days prior to the burglary. Vigilantes have also claimed that they have felt that. Most likely to keep an eye out in case the thieves need to escape whichever home they’re raiding.”

“Could it be possible that the Shadow and Falcon are the same person?” Kuroo asked.

Yukie bit her lip. “I don’t think so. The Shadow keeps their presence hidden, you wouldn’t know if they were in the same room as you. Unlike the Falcon, who watches and stalks you even in broad daylight, but they know how to blend in with a crowd.”

“Lock could possibly be one of the thieves as well.” Ushijima spoke up for the first time during the meeting. “They supposedly know how to unlock anything and even know how to disarm alarms.”

“Then there’s Demo, they know how to make bombs but there’s only been one instance where Vigilantes encountered them a few years back.” Kageyama explained.

Kuroo crossed his arms. “Have any of these people ever been seen?”

Everyone answered no.

“But are we even certain that they’re all working together?” Lev asked.

“No, but we believe they are.” Shirabu answered. “They’ve been thieves for some time now, and the type of heists they do aren’t a one-person job. They could have all started out by themselves, but it’s possible as time went on they became a group. They knew by grouping up they can succeed much more.”

Koganegawa leaned forward. “If you don’t mind my asking, Captain, why the sudden interest?”

Kuroo narrowed his eyes. “I believe the Shadow was there last night when Yukie and Ushijima accompanied me to Nohebi to arrest the drug trafficking criminals.”

Bokuto’s golden eyes almost widened.

“Why do you think that is?” Iwaizumi questioned.

“Because right before Watari’s dagger was about to strike me, a shuriken collided against the dagger and changed its course, thus saving me.”

“So the Shadow saved you? How odd.” Oikawa stated.

“There was no one else in there. Ushijima evacuated everyone, I myself confirmed that he did his job. Alas, at that moment someone blocked the attack and I remembered Shirabu mentioning the Shadow.”

Yukie frowned. “Why was the Sha-”

A hasty knock interrupted the meeting, then a woman with short brown hair entered.

“I’m sorry to interrupt, Captain.”

“It’s alright, Misaki. What news do you bring?”

“Unfortunately, a brawl broke out at one of the parks.”

Kuroo instantly stood. “A brawl?”

“Yes, sir. Two drunk men from different groups began fighting and then their friends joined, creating a public violent disturbance.”

“Very well, thank you Misaki.” Kuroo turned to his unit. “Let’s go.”

* * *

 

Tsukishima and Akaashi were laughing as they watched the ten odd men beginning to fight across from them at the park. Apparently, the group of the slightly younger men were being too loud, and the group of older men were annoyed, so both leaders of each group confronted each other. Sure enough, a fight ensued and their lackies followed. People with children got as far away as possible, some families even left. A few stayed put to enjoy the show while eating their picnic like Tsukishima and Akaashi.

Two Vigilantes were the only ones in the area, but even they had trouble breaking up the fight.

Akaashi stuffed a few grapes into his mouth. “Damn, that punch looked like it hurt.”

“They’re all drunk so they don’t feel anything yet.” Tsukishima took a sip of water from his canteen.

Both men opted to visit the Shinden Sakura park by their house for the Cherry Blossom Festival. They sat under one of the cherry blossom trees and were now the only ones sitting there since the family they were sharing the tree with left when the fight started. Cherry blossom petals littered the space around them, a few petals occasionally falling onto their bodies and food.

Daichi already informed them all of the plan to steal Mr. Kobayashi’s Broadsword in the morning hours of the night. So now they were going to relax and enjoy their day before the job.

“So, how are things with Bokuto?” Tsukishima asked, still watching the fight.

Akaashi’s lips bashfully quirked up. “Everything’s been amazing. He’s been amazing.”

Tsukishima snorted. “I know. Next time can you guys be quieter?”

This time Akaashi smirked evilly. “Can’t make any promises. Bokuto is… deliciously well endowed.”

“Damnit Keiji, I don’t wanna know.”

Akaashi grinned. “You know he gave me five orgasms in _one_ night.” He held up five fingers, a mischievous glint in his blue eyes.

Tsukishima fake gagged.

“Pfft, whatever. I can’t wait to see how you are when you meet someone that turns you into jello.”

“And fucks my brains out?”

“And fucks your brains out.”

The brawl was surprisingly still going on, albeit the men were exhausted and basically shoving each other at this point.

Suddenly, a group of Vigilantes and a certain Captain appeared, marching with purpose towards the men.

Tsukishima’s heart rate sped up. _Shit, the Captain’s here._ He turned to Akaashi, but the thief shook his head.

“If we start packing up right away we’ll look suspicious. Just wait a few minutes.”

However, Kuroo noticed Tsukishima. As the Vigilantes surrounded the drunk men, Kuroo whispered something to Kageyama, who then nodded and strolled towards the thieves.

“Why is Kageyama heading this way?” Tsukishima hissed lowly.

“Relax, he’s probably going to ask us what happened. Just stay seated.” Akaashi assured him.

When Kageyama reached them, he took out a small notepad and a pen from his pocket. “Did you guys see what happened here?”

Straight to the point, no greeting or anything. Tsukishima then remembered that Kageyama didn’t have great people skills.

Akaashi was the one who answered, explaining what they witnessed before and during the altercation. After he finished, he and Tsukishima were about to stand but Kageyama told them to stay until he briefed Kuroo, leaving them to join the Captain and Vigilantes.

Yelling could be heard from the drunk men as they all tried to explain what happened, afraid of being arrested and wanting to put blame on each other. Kuroo asked for the two men that started the fight and warned them that each one must take turns in answering. His amber eyes were dark, and his lips were pressed into a thin line as he towered over the men. They complied and after Kuroo listened to them, he informed them that they were all going to be arrested for causing a public disturbance.

A few lower ranked Vigilantes arrived so that there were more automobiles to transport the detainees. Kuroo ordered Yukie, Bokuto, Iwaizumi, and Ushijima to help escort them.

Bokuto snuck a glance at Akaashi, the latter offering a gentle smile. Bokuto winked, which caused Akaashi’s smile to widen.

“Doesn’t Kou look so damn good with his hair styled back and parted to the side?”

“It’s better than his stupid horned hair.”

“Yeah, it is stupid. But I love it.”

“You’re so in love it’s disgusting.”

They chuckled but stopped however when they noticed Kuroo was making his way to towards them. The other Vigilantes were questioning the rest of the onlookers, as well as making sure no one got hurt.

This time, Akaashi cursed as he and Tsukishima stood.

Kuroo stopped a few feet away from them, all three men sparsely bowing.

“Porky, what a surprise to find you here.” Kuroo stated.

Tsukishima balled his fists, which didn’t go unnoticed by the Captain and it only made him smirk.

“My name isn’t Porky.” Tsukishima growled. Even though he sounded upset, his eyes were still soft.

Kuroo’s gaze shifted onto Akaashi. “Good afternoon.”

Akaashi fiddled with his fingers. “Good afternoon, Captain. Did you want us to go over what happened?”

“No, I already got the story. I just wanted to say hi to Porky over here.” Kuroo turned back to look at Tsukishima with a cheshire grin.

“Like I said Captain, my name isn’t Porky.”

Kuroo pouted. “But I like that name.”

“I’d prefer another name.” Tsukishima sighed.

Kuroo placed his hands on his waist, pursing his lips as he thought of another name.

Akaashi frowned. _Could it be that the Captain’s interested in Kei?_

Tsukishima couldn’t believe he was actually allowing this. Suga told him to stay away from the Captain, and even though logic was banging on his head to leave, he didn’t want to. Kuroo was so dreamy and beautiful. Tsukishima wanted to stare at him all day.

He mentally kicked himself. _Don’t be an idiot._

“Sorry, Captain, but we have to get going.” Tsukishima said.

The Captain actually appeared dejected. “Then, may I please know your name?” Kuroo asked.

Tsukishima sighed. “Why?” he honestly had no idea why the Captain was so interested.

Kuroo smiled genuinely, amber eyes sparkling. “I must know the name of someone such as beautiful as yourself.”

His confession almost made Akaashi’s eyes pop out of their sockets. _Holy shit, is he_ actually _infatuated with Kei?_

If it weren’t for the kind smile that Kuroo offered, Tsukishima would have been annoyed and tell him to get lost. Unfortunately, he could see that the Captain truly had no ill intent, he just wanted to know his name. Tsukishima almost said it, almost gave himself away.

“It’s… you can just call me Firefly.” He scratched the back of his neck.

Kuroo perked up. “Firefly?”

“It’s a nickname.” Tsukishima shrugged, smiling. It wasn’t a complete lie.

The Captain beamed. Before he can say anything else, Kageyama was beside him, letting him know that they were finished and ready to head back to the office.

“It seems I must go. I know it might be too soon, but I’d like to see you again.” Kuroo admitted, eyes bright.

Tsukishima’s legs almost gave out. “You-you want to… but why me? W-why?”

Akaashi wanted to know why as well. This definitely was going to complicate things, however...

Kuroo released a breathless laugh. “Like I said, you’re absolutely beautiful and I’d like to spend more time with you. I’m free tomorrow night, and if you wouldn’t mind, I’d like to take you out to dinner.”

_Shit, shit, shit._ “Uhm, I don’t-”

“He’ll go.” Akaashi interrupted.

Tsukishima snapped his gaze over to Akaashi. Their gazes met, and Tsukishima’s golden eyes yelled “What are you doing?!” while Akaashi’s blue orbs told him to stay calm. He then noticed the blonde’s flushing cheeks.

“Please excuse him, he gets shy when people find him attractive. Let alone when they ask him on a date, especially when the request comes from someone with your status, Captain.”

Kuroo chuckled, tilting his head. “I’m sorry for coming on too strong, Firefly. If it’s too soon then I don’t mind waiting.”

Tsukishima shook his head, clearing his thoughts. “No, no, it’s okay. I’d be honored to join you for dinner.” He quickly bowed.

“Please, no need to bow. Where do you live? I’ll pick you up before sunset.” He grinned.

“Oh, you don’t have to trouble yourself with that. I’ll just meet you at the restaurant.”

Kuroo tsked. “Nonsense, I wouldn’t mind at all. What kind of man would I be telling you to meet me somewhere when _I_ invited you?”

Tsukishima gulped. _Shit, I can’t give him the address to the house. I’ll just tell him to pick me up at… shit, whose address should I give him? Not Tadashi’s, he knows too much. Fuck it, I’ll just give him Hinata’s address._

Once Kuroo wrote down the address, he bid both thieves farewell and left the park with the rest of the Vigilantes. He took one last look at Tsukishima to smile. The blonde couldn’t help but return the smile.

When the coast was clear, Tsukishima glared at Akaashi. “Why did you do that? Suga said I should stay away from him!”

Akaashi began to pack away their belongings. “I’m sorry, but I can tell that the Captain is in fact infatuated with you. Even if you turned him down today he’ll just continue to ask you out.”

“So?”

Akaashi rolled his eyes. “ _So_ , it’s best to just go with it.”

“For what?”

“You can find out about their operations.”

“Basically, to just use him and get information out of him for our benefit.”

“Mhm, exactly right.” Akaashi handed Tsukishima the quilt they brought to the park. “Unless, you like him too?”

Tsukishima fumbled with the quilt. “Preposterous, how could I? If he found out who I was he’d throw me in jail without a second thought.”

“And does that bother you?”

“Where are you going with this, Keiji?” Tsukishima raised an eyebrow. “One moment you say I should use him and the next you’re assuming that I like him.”

“Well, because if you like him then I don’t want you to use him.”

“It doesn’t matter, I’m already lying to him. He thinks I’m a newspaper vendor, I won’t give him my real name, _and_ I gave him the wrong home address.”

They finished cleaning up and started making their way out of the park. Cherry blossom petals were scattered all over the ground they walked on.

“Look, Kei, I just want you to be happy.” Akaashi mumbled.

“I know, but it’s not that simple. _You_ got lucky. You and Bo have known each other since you were kids and fell in love. Bo only joined the Vigilantes because he wasn’t good at being a thief, and you knew where his priorities stood when he joined them. You’re almost done saving, and once you have enough money, both you and Bo are going to leave this city to live new happy lives together.”

Akaashi reached up to pat Tsukishima’s blonde curls. “You know you can come with us, right?”

Tsukishima gave Akaashi’s hand a gentle squeeze. “I know, but not yet. I’m doing my own saving too so that I can take care of myself. I’ll eventually meet up with you guys.”

“Sounds good.”

_I just want you to be happy, Kei._ Akaashi thought. He replayed the images of Kuroo’s kind smile and shining eyes that were aimed only at Tsukishima. _I truly believe that he’d follow you. The look that the Captain gave you… that’s the look that Koutarou gives me, and I know it’s the same that I give him._ Akaashi gave a sideways glance at Tsukishima. _You didn’t realize it, Kei, but you too had the same look._

Akaashi gazed up at the falling petals. This wasn’t the life he and Bokuto wanted, but they just needed to hold on a little while longer until they could leave and be free.

Tsukishima didn’t want this life either, and eventually he’ll get out of it. He only just met Kuroo and yet it bothered him to leave the city. _Is it really a good idea to go out with him? The job’s tonight. Will I be able to face Kuroo tomorrow?_ A cherry blossom petal fell in between Tsukishima’s right eye and lens. He pulled out the petal and held it in his open palm. _And yet, the thought of not seeing him upsets me._ Tsukishima’s footsteps stopped. _Oh crap, I like him._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> whoaaaaa i'm really sorry for taking so long to update. i just couldnt seem to get out of my writers block but alas, i was able to update today :') thank you all sm for your kudos & comments it truly means a lot!! ❤ since it's tsukki's birthday month i had to update + i do plan on finishing this fic! it's gonna be short tho & things will move fast so if this isn't your thing then sorry ;b
> 
> if you wanna scream about haikyuu, bnha, bungou stray dogs or w/e then follow my [twitter](https://twitter.com/_theglasscastle) :)


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i tried to get this out earlier but whoops. theres still 3 hours left--HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO THE BEST SALTY BOI TSUKKI ❤ I LOVE HIM SM ❤

The cool breeze caressed Kiyoko’s cheek while she sipped her tea, eyes roaming over the Captain every few minutes to make sure he was still in sight.

She sat alone at a table in a café and pretended to be reading a book while the Captain was drinking at an outside bar across the street. Kuroo appeared to be on a break with some of his subordinates.

Kiyoko instantly recognized the Vigilantes accompanying their Captain; Shirabu, Ushijima, and Yukie.

It was well late into the night, but the cobblestone roads were still loitering with people out for a night of fun. Many of them had just came from visiting the sakura trees in the parks which resulted on the roads being littered with petals that the people brought with them.

Kiyoko made sure to sit a few ways away from the hanging paper lamps. They were strung across the entire street, and some were connected from the lamp posts to the roofs of the shops. It was a beautiful sight, but for the moment she couldn’t admire their pretty glow since she was on the job.

As the Captain was speaking to his subordinates, Kiyoko lifted the book to her lips and pressed down on her left breast.

“The Captain is still at the bar. He ordered another drink, so it looks like he’ll still be another ten minutes here.” She whispered to the small radio communicator.

There was a low static noise before Daichi’s voice came in through the earpiece. “Good. Make sure to keep a close eye on him. Kenma, how are things from your end?”

“Boring. I say in about an hour the guards will be tired and no longer on high alert. Once they start showing fatigue, Tendou will release the sleeping gas.” Kenma yawned.

Kiyoko refrained herself from rolling her eyes. “Just don’t fall asleep first.”

In the beginning plans Kenma was supposed to join Kiyoko on following the Captain, but Daichi wanted to be extra careful so he had Kenma watch the guards at the Kobayashi residence instead, with Tendou joining him.

“Alright, we’re still getting ready over here. Kiyoko, Kenma, alert me as soon as possible if anything changes.” Daichi commanded.

Kiyoko and Kenma simultaneously replied, “Yes, sir.”

* * *

 

“So, boss, Kageyama said it looked like you took a liking to some blonde at the park today. Apparently, you knew the guy.” Yukie smirked as she took a drink of her sake.

Kuroo chuckled lightly. “Kageyama sure doesn’t know when to keep his mouth shut, does he?”

“The Captain’s personal affairs is none of our business.” Shirabu scolded.

Yukie’s smile dropped. “I’m sorry, Captain, I didn’t mean to-”

Kuroo waved away her apology. “It’s fine, I know it’s the sake. All I will say though is that yes, I am interested in him.”

“Ooh, what’s his name?” Yukie asked.

“Dammit, Yukie, you’re not supposed to ask any more questions.” Shirabu exclaimed.

Kuroo glanced at the café across the street. He had the gnawing suspicion that someone was staring at him. If he was being honest, he hoped he’d spot Firefly amidst the customers at the café. Unfortunately, he didn’t spot the sassy blonde.

The ever so quiet Ushijima followed his gaze.

“Captain, is it wise for us to be drinking during work? We normally just take a twenty-minute break at the office instead of going out.” Shirabu said.

Kuroo took a swig of his beer. “I know.” His cat-like amber eyes scanned his surroundings. The area was mainly occupied by friends and couples, laughing and talking about anything and everything. There were a few loners here and there. He was surprised when he moved to Nekoma and found out that people were still out at this late hour because in his hometown everyone would already be inside after sunset. “I felt like being out. And besides,” he smirked knowingly, “I _am_ the Captain.”

“Yeah, Shirabu, we only take the Captain’s orders.” Yukie added.

Yukie and Shirabu began arguing and Ushijima merely watched them, he was used to their bickering.

Kuroo’s mind wandered on the Shadow. Truth be told, Kuroo didn’t know why he was fixated on this person that he’d never seen. However, he felt deep inside that he needed to uncover their identity. Of course, what was most important was capturing them so that they no longer invaded people’s privacy, and if they did work alongside the thieves, then to give up their information. But mostly, Kuroo wanted to know who they were.

Bright golden eyes, blonde hair, and a smart mouth appeared in Kuroo’s mind. He smiled inwardly. _Ahh yes, mister Firefly. I’ve never seen someone so beautiful._ Kuroo sighed, but it went unnoticed as Ushijima was holding back Yukie from hitting Shirabu. _I’ve never met someone so secretive, yet it’s a little exciting._ He looked at his subordinates who were now wrestling each other on the ground. _City folk are definitely different._

Ushijima finally separated Yukie and Shirabu, and they seemed to have remembered where they were and bowed deeply to apologize to Kuroo.

Kuroo would’ve gotten upset at his subordinates if his mind wasn’t on the blonde and Shadow. He needed to focus.

“Earlier today we were talking about the thieves,” Kuroo started, “do you know if Kageyama and Oikawa gathered all the information yet?”

Shirabu fixed his collar. “No, sir. When I asked Oikawa when he thought they’d be done he said, ‘Come back never’.”

Yukie laughed.

“They work rather quickly. I’d say by tomorrow morning, if not then midday.” Ushijima assured.

Yukie’s laughter subsided as she got serious. “It does bother me though that we didn’t see the Shadow in the bar. You sure you didn’t miss someone, Ushiwaka?”

“I saw no one else. They are called the Shadow for a reason.”

“Hmm, nothings been stolen in a while. Actually, ever since you became the new Captain.” Shirabu told Kuroo.

“They must have been monitoring me, trying to figure out what type of Captain I am.” Kuroo narrowed his brows.

Yukie smacked the table, startling everyone. “Maybe that’s why the Shadow was at the bar! They were watching you, trying to figure you out.”

“No, the Shadow was already in the bar before we got there. I would have felt if we were being followed.” Kuroo glanced at the café. They were most likely watching him now.

“I would have too.” Ushijima added.

Shirabu held his chin with his forefinger and thumb. “The Shadow could have just been hanging out, and when you all stepped in they probably hid. Or they could have been gathering information on someone else.”

Kuroo turned to Ushijima. “Was there anyone important that you helped escort out?”

Before Ushijima answered, Kuroo turned back to the café, the former instantly following.

“It’s gone.” Ushijima mumbled.

“Huh? What’s gone?” Yukie asked.

“Someone was watching us and now they’re gone.” Kuroo answered.

Shirabu stood. “Who was it? Let’s go catch them before they escape!”

“Sit down, Shirabu. It’s no use. They blend perfectly well with the crowd. We wouldn’t be able to pinpoint who they are.” Kuroo’s gaze flickered to and fro, trying to catch anyone who looked suspicious.

“Then how do you know they’re gone?” Yukie asked as she drank the rest of her sake.

“Because the presence of their watchful eyes disappeared.” Kuroo replied. “Ushijima, was there anyone important at the bar?”

The broad man thought for a moment, his eyes widening a fraction when he remembered. “Yes, Mr. Kobayashi was amongst the people at the bar.”

“Kobayashi? Aren’t they the ones that make the automobiles?” Kuroo looked at Shirabu.

The uptight Vigilante gasped. “But of course! The Kobayashi’s are out of town visiting Mrs. Kobayashi’s mother because she’s ill.”

“Then that means they’re headed for the mansion to break in.” Kuroo dropped some coins on the table as he stood, fixing his mandarin collar. The rest abruptly stood as well. “We need to get to the Kobayashi residence immediately. Shirabu, call the others for backup.”

They all stormed out of the seating area and ran towards the end of the street where their automobile was parked and hopped in. Ushijima turned on the vehicle and quickly drove, turning on the siren so people would get out of their way.

_Dammit, I should have gone to the café to find who was watching us instead of imagining that it’d be Firefly. We could possibly catch these criminals once and for all._

* * *

 

***EARLIER***

Static noise. “Huh, looks like the guards got tired earlier than I expected. They’re bad at their job.” Kenma sighed.

Back at the house, Tsukishima and the others around him chuckled.

“Fine by me, I’m ready baby!” Tanaka cheered.

“You better not be so loud once we’re over there.” Terushima warned.

Nishinoya spoke into his radio. “Boss, we’re ready to go whenever you say.”

“Start heading out now and wait by the alley. When the coast is clear I’ll alert you.”

Everyone heard Daichi’s message and headed out into the night. They all split and ran into the dark, Tsukishima preferring to run from the rooftops. It was great that the side of the city where they lived had most of the lights off, it was easier for them to get through.

It took them fifteen minutes to get to the alley by the mansion. A few of the neighbors had their lights on, but luckily the houses around the mansion were dark.

“We’re here, boss.” Tanaka notified Daichi.

“Good. Anything look out of the norm?”

“Not a thing.” Terushima replied.

This time, Daichi’s message was directed at someone else. “Kiyoko, just stay there and don’t leave until I tell you to. Continue to keep an eye on the Captain.”

At the mention of the Captain, Tsukishima couldn’t help but feel his heart skip a beat. He gazed at the mansion and as his eyes adjusted more to the dark, he was able to see light smoke surrounding the house. Tendou better have used the right gas this time.

They all adorned their black masquerade masks that had small beaks, making them appear like crows. Tsukishima threw on his hood while the others opted for a dark beanie.

Daichi then ordered into their ears, “Go.”

As quick as the night, they sped towards the mansion, hiding between shrubs and houses. Once they were by the mansion they swiftly climbed the sixty-foot black pine tree nearby and jumped the metal fence.

Tsukishima was the first to land, quickly spotting all the guards sleeping, albeit tied up and with their mouths covered. He glanced around the backyard, remembering the twenty-foot trees and their distances from each other. _Only six-feet apart, good._

Nishinoya was the second to land and he observed the scene before him. “Tendou’s getting better.” He admired before heading towards the door to unlock it.

Once Tanaka and Terushima joined, they followed Nishinoya, who had the door opened in a matter of seconds.

Tsukishima spoke into the radio. “We’re inside.”

They had entered through the marble kitchen, Daichi telling them to take the hallway on their left.

While they were in the mansion, Kiyoko was out keeping an eye on the Captain, the rest were hiding outside the fence keeping an eye out for Vigilantes: Daichi and Futakuchi to the west, Kenma to the east, Tendou to the south, and Akaashi to the north. Daichi had gone over with Tsukishima and the others where they should go through to get to the room holding the sword, but in case if the sword wasn’t there, Daichi had the blueprints so that he would be able to help lead them through the mansion to find the sword and exit.

“Okay, once you get to the end of that hall, you should make it to the first living room.” Daichi said.

Tanaka whistled when the living room came into view. “You could fit three living rooms in here.”

A Victorian grand piano sat by the high ceiling window next to the fireplace, a crystal chandelier hung in the middle, one long white camelback sofa and two single bergère chairs were in the center atop a large rug with lattice patterns.

“Now be careful, if you step in the alarm _will_ go off. It’s motion detector. Nishinoya, disable it.”

“You got it.”

Terushima turned on a low-lit flashlight to locate the alarm pad. Once he located it, Nishinoya pulled out a small screw driver from his pocket, easily opening the box.

“Disabling the power lines will only do so for the first floor, so you’ll need to do this again when you get to the second floor.” Daichi warned.

Nishinoya disabled the power line, and once he closed the box they stepped into the living room and stood for a moment. When it was certain that the alarm wouldn’t go off, they strolled across and ended up in the foyer.

The curved marble staircase was in the middle of the foyer, and they glanced around searching for the alarm pad.

“It should be right there. Looks like they hid it behind the painting.” Tsukishima pointed to the wall at the top right of the staircase.

“Damn, that’s a thirty by forty, it’ll be a little heavy since it’s a wooden frame.” Terushima sighed. “Come on Tanaka, let’s take it down.”

Tanaka smirked at Tsukishima. “Give Noya a boost yeah?”

Nishinoya kicked his ass. “Fuck you, Tanaka.”

They climbed the stairs slowly, making sure to not leave any dirty marks on the marble floor. Tanaka complained about the Kobayashi’s not putting carpet on the steps as he tightly held onto the railing.

Tsukishima looked at the family painting as Terushima and Tanaka positioned their hands correctly to grip the frame. Mr. Kobayashi was a sleaze, always sleeping around with other women and flirting with them even when his wife was in the same room. His arrogant smile and the puff of his chest made Tsukishima dislike him even more. _You don’t deserve your wealth._ The mother and her two children appeared despondent, no doubt they hated living with a man like Mr. Kobayashi who didn’t appreciate anything.

Once the portrait was set aside, Tsukishima after all needed to give Nishinoya a boost because the alarm pad was set up high.

Terushima and Tanaka were giggling quietly while Nishinoya grumbled how embarrassing the situation was, glaring at the laughing men through his bird mask, which only made them laugh more. It was truly a smart place to hide the second alarm pad in case if burglars did get past the first one. If they didn’t have the blueprints to the mansion, they would have never guessed that this is where the alarm pad was and this whole job would have ended up in disaster.

They quickly set things back to how they were and continued, stopping again to make sure it was okay to move forward.

“Damn, these are some long ass hallways.” Tanaka whispered.

“Well, it is a mansion with large rooms.” Tsukishima mocked.

Nishinoya nodded. “We’d definitely get lost in here without the floor plans.”

“Alright boss, fifth door to the right, correct?” Terushima asked.

“Yes. Once you guys get the door open, it should be a library. There will be another door on the other side of the room and it’ll lead you back to the hallway. It’s a shortcut and that way we can avoid their wire boobytrap.”

Tsukishima counted the doors as they quietly stepped further down. When they arrived to the fifth room Nishinoya pulled out his lock pick tools and got to work on unlocking the double-sided wooden door.

Sure enough, when they entered it was a library full of floor to ceiling bookshelves. There was a brown leather chaise lounge near the window with a coffee table nearby.

Tsukishima smiled as he easily pictured Akaashi reading one of his favorite novels and drinking tea. “Akaashi would sure love this.”

They crossed the room to the next door, unlocking it and stepping back into the hallway.

“Second to last door at the hallway, right boss?” Tanaka asked.

“Yes, that should be the room where the sword is kept. Mr. Kobayashi’s room is the last one.”

Instead of a wooden door, this one was metal, promising that whatever was kept inside was of extreme great value. Tsukishima was always tempted to take something else from the places they robbed, but it was a rule that when on the job their only duty was to steal what Daichi told them to and to get the hell out.

Nishinoya took out his lock pick tools again. “This one’s an alarm lock so it’ll take a few more seconds. These are a bit trickier to unlock too.”

Terushima flashed the low-lit flashlight on the lock. “Why’s that?”

“The mechanisms inside are different from regular locks. These are also much more sensitive, one wrong move and it’ll set off the alarm. So, it’s important to be calm and patient when dealing with these.” Nishinoya explained. “But lucky for us, the alarm won’t go off.”

“Then why also have a keypad?” Tanaka asked.

Nishinoya leaned in closer as he gently moved the two picks in the lock. “Well usually these rich folks prefer to have two ways of access in case if they forget the code or the key. If they forget both then they’re just morons. It’s mainly for cases like this, though, when the power is out the keypad won’t work so they’ll need a key.”

It took a whole minute of Nishinoya’s tampering before they heard the successful _click!_ of the metal door.

Terushima and Tanaka grunted as they opened the heavy door, Terushima staying behind to hold it as the other three stepped into the room. Nishinoya had explained that those types of doors automatically locked when they closed, and if the Vigilantes appeared then unlocking the door would just take time away from their chance to escape.

The room was vast, but surprisingly it wasn’t filled to the brim with extensive valuables like they all had imagined. It was like a museum, there were displays on the walls and in the middle of the room. In each corner of the room was a lit iron torch sconce, offering enough light for them to see what was inside the displays.

From what Tsukishima could see, the wall to his right was showcasing an anciet painted vase, a small statue, and an old ripped page from what he believed was a book in a language he didn’t know. As he moved further in he looked at the displays in the middle. They held jewelry, ancient pottery, antique items like a telescope and clock, and older weapons. They were beautiful, no doubt worth something, and preserved nicely. Tsukishima’s hand itched to take the telescope, but he couldn’t.

“Whoa you guys, that’s it, isn’t it?” Nishinoya pointed towards the end of the room where in the middle of the wall the only display there was the medieval Broadsword.

The sword was rustic since it had only been preserved for six years, the hilt was covered in markings from what Tsukishima could guess was Celtic. The markings traveled from the hilt to the middle of the sword where they slowly faded, and even though it’s hundreds of years old, the blade still looked like it could cut through bone in one swipe.

Tsukishima wondered how many lives the sword took, who was its first wielder, and who was the blacksmith that forged the sword so many years ago.

Tanaka attached a suction cup to the glass, then with his glass cutter he cut a rectangle on the front of the case and gently pulled off the glass.

Under his cloak, Tsukishima removed the leather scabbard from his back and handed it to Tanaka, reaching into the case to grip the sword. He released a small grunt as he picked up the sword, Tanaka helping him slide it into the scabbard.

“You sure you can run with it?” Nishinoya asked.

Tsukishima laughed. “I’ve carried you before, haven’t I?”

“Hey, I am _not_ the same size as that sword!”

The static noise from the radio buzzed through their earpiece before Akaashi’s hurried voice came through. “Vigilantes are heading this way, it sounds like there’s four automobiles.”

“Get out of there _now_.” Daichi ordered.

“Shit!” Tanaka removed his suction cup from the glass while Tsukishima tightened the scabbard on his back under his cloak.

“Come on, let’s go!” Terushima called from the room’s entrance.

Daichi’s breathless voice came back in. “Go to Mr. Kobayashi’s room, there’s a secret passageway on the wall to the left, it should be towards the back of the room.”

They ran out, the metal door loudly closing behind them. Nishinoya quickly unlocked the last door, all of them running into the grand bedroom towards the back-left wall. They came across a bookshelf, Tsukishima easily discovering which book opened the secret door.

When he pulled the book, which was _An Encouragement of Learning_ by Fukuzawa Yukichi, the bookshelf opened and revealed the secret passageway.

The passageway was lit by torch sconces and they ran through as the passageway curved to the left.

“When you guys get to the stair’s platform, there’s going to be a door on the right. Tsukishima, you take that exit. It should be a guest bedroom. You’ll exit from the window since you need to be high up. The rest, you all continue down.”

“Yes, sir.” They replied as they continued to run.

The platform appeared, and Tsukishima located the lever, Nishinoya opening the door in seconds.

“You better fly.” Terushima said as he and the others continued to move down.

Tsukishima closed the door, hurrying to the window and turning the lock to open it. Sirens could be heard in the short distance. _They’ll be here soon._ He made sure the scabbard was secured tightly before stepping out, setting his feet on window ledge as he gripped the top ledge. He quickly climbed, his feet and hands easily gripping the wall since it was finished with stone veneer.

When Tsukishima got to the roof he ducked, Vigilantes were already running through the front lawn to get inside. He hoped the others got out in time. He ran towards the south of the house, that’s where they first came in. The big sixty-foot tree would be helpful for him to jump onto the roof of the neighbor’s house. The only risky thing was that Tsukishima would need to jump between the twenty-foot trees to get to the fence, he could be easily seen by the Vigilantes.

Tsukishima ran to the edge of the mansion, swiftly jumping onto a tree branch and blending in with the leaves. He could hear orders being shouted to check the perimeter, and Tsukishima hurried to jump from tree to tree. He almost lost his footing once, and a branch smacked his forehead, almost throwing his mask off.

He barely made it to the fence when a few Vigilantes arrived in the backyard, instantly jumping onto the black pine tree and shielding himself behind the leaves. He checked the scabbard once more and set off to jumping onto the roof of the next house.

Tsukishima briefly wondered if the Captain was amongst the Vigilantes searching for him and the others. He wasn’t sure how he’d be able to face him tomorrow for dinner. _That’s right, the dinner! Shit, I’m not supposed to like him!_ Tsukishima mentally kicked himself, he didn’t know what to do.

The next house he jumped onto was a bit small, so he made sure to land as lightly as he could. The alley they had hidden in earlier was coming into view. Tsukishima jumped onto the roof of three more houses before jumping down into the middle of the alley.

Just as he was about to take a step, the hairs on the back of his neck stood, and he instantly turned just in time before a katana whizzed past his ribs, stabbing part of his bottom cloak to the earth.

Standing behind him in the alleyway entrance was Kuroo. He looked regal in his blood red fitted double breasted blazer, mandarin collar, the gold three-star insignia above his breast pocket, black dress trousers and plain toed shoes, pistol in his holster on his right and katana belt strap on his left. His hair was disheveled, and his playful gleam was now replaced with chagrin.

“Who are you, Shadow? And why did you target the Kobayashi residence?” Kuroo asked breathlessly as he took a step closer.

_Fuck, fuck, fuck, this isn’t good. He’ll recognize my voice. I need to get away quickly._ Tsukishima lowered his hood over his eyes, trying to tug his cloak from the katana with one hand while the other one slowly moved to his chest. There were very few lamp posts in the alley, but Tsukishima didn’t want to risk Kuroo catching a glimpse of his eyes. It’d be easier if it was completely dark.

“Why won’t you answer me? I don’t want to resort to violence to get you to talk.” Kuroo took another step forward, Tsukishima took one step back.

He tugged harder on his cloak, hearing it start to tear.

Kuroo noticed the hand on Tsukishima’s chest and grabbed his pistol. “Remove your hand from your chest, both hands in front of you. Now, tell me who you are. Show your face.” Kuroo demanded, pistol aimed at the cloaked Tsukishima.

Tsukishima tugged hard one last time, his cloak finally free. He slowly held his hands up, waiting for the right moment.

An explosion was heard nearby, and Kuroo turned his head towards the mansion. In his split distraction, Tsukishima removed a shuriken from inside his forearm cover and threw it, knocking Kuroo’s pistol out of his hands and ran.

_I need to get a good distance away before I try to climb._ Tsukishima thought, grateful for Tendou’s distraction.

“Damn you!” Kuroo yelled, chasing after Tsukishima who was about to jump on a trash can to climb the wall of a house.

Kuroo was quick, he picked up his katana and aimed it at Tsukishima again. The latter had no choice but to dodge just like before, this time making sure his cloak was out of the way.

_Shit, it looks like I’m gonna need to fight him._ Tsukishima reached into his forearm covers to pull out two kunais, expertly turning them in his hands and positioning himself in a fighting stance.

Just then, all the lights in that area went out.

_Thank you Nishinoya or Akaashi._

Kuroo grinned, white teeth shining in the dark as he grabbed his katana. “Your buddies must be nearby, helping you out to beat me. Of course, you work best in the shadows.”

Tsukishima knew now was not the time to fawn over the Captain, he knew that, but he just couldn’t help but find Kuroo ridiculously attractive. His amber eyes had a crazy, excited gleam, his cheshire smile will forever keep Tsukishima up late at night, and that raspy voice that Tsukishima wanted to so badly get drunk off. He wouldn’t be able to keep up in his distracted state.

Kuroo was the first to charge, Tsukishima blocking his attack and throwing a kick to the Captain’s feet. Kuroo jumped in time, swinging his katana sideways. Tsukishima had no choice but to jump back, throwing one kunai at Kuroo who stopped it with his katana.

_Damn, I don’t want to hurt him, but if I don’t immobilize him in some way he’ll just keep coming at me. In brute strength he definitely has the upper hand, which is hot—shut up, idiot! Don’t think about that._ Tsukishima pulled out a dagger from his boot and blocked the katana. The force of the blow almost made Tsukishima lose his footing. He ducked and rolled off to the side, distancing himself from Kuroo.

His hood had now fallen, but thankfully all the lights were out. However, he was still afraid of being found out, so he pulled his hood over again.

Kuroo noticed this and decided to aim for Tsukishima’s face in hopes of discovering his identity. He swiped his katana up in hopes of cutting the mask, but Tsukishima tilted his face back in time, the blade lightly nicking his chin.

The small cut stung, and it irked Tsukishima. “Tch.” He spun, long leg outstretched and kicked Kuroo’s ribs.

The Captain groaned, gripping Tsukishima’s ankle and pulling him in. Tsukishima’s eyes widened and with his back leg he dug his heel into the ground, twisting his ankle out of Kuroo’s grip.

Kuroo swung his katana down and Tsukishima needed to use both arms to stop the blow. Kuroo took this opportunity and tripped Tsukishima. The thief quickly scrambled back and flipped himself on his feet in time to dodge another of Kuroo’s attacks.

They battled like that for a few more minutes, both landing hits on each other as Tsukishima tried to get away from Kuroo’s attempts to unmasking him.

Tsukishima was starting to run out of breath. If he didn’t need to climb, run, jump, and fight with the Broadsword hanging from his back he wouldn’t have gotten tired just yet.

They separated for a moment as they caught their breath.

“Shadow, tell me who you are and what you took from the Kobayashi’s home.” Kuroo wiped the small amount of blood from the corner of his lips, smirking when he saw the crimson color. “You know, you’re good. Not many can keep up with me.”

Tsukishima smiled, honestly pleased with the compliment. But he knew he wouldn’t be able to keep up for much longer. His golden eyes flickered to the roof on his right and then back to Kuroo.

Kuroo returned the smile. At first he was annoyed when he laid eyes on the Shadow, but for some reason now he enjoyed this little spar.

Again, Tsukishima expertly spun the kunai in one hand as he held his dagger in the other.

“I _will_ uncover your identity, Shadow.” Kuroo promised as he pointed his katana to Tsukishima.

They positioned themselves in a fighting stance, the sirens still blaring in the distance as the Vigilantes continued to search for the thieves and the one who set off the explosion.

Tsukishima took a deep breath. _Any minute now._

A round object fell between them, the fuse almost running out. Kuroo’s amber eyes widened and he quickly backed away. Tsukishima didn’t hesitate, he ran towards the wall and began to climb the back of the house.

“Took you long enough.” He snapped at Tendou once he got to the roof.

The red head merely grinned. “I’m not a spider, I can’t climb as fast as you.”

Tsukishima ignored his comment and took off, Tendou following.

“Shadow!” Kuroo shouted right before a small blast went off and smoke enveloped the alley. He coughed as he jogged out of the alley, covering his face as best as he could and trying to not inhale.

He made it out and continued to cough, turning to look at the rooftops and searching for the Shadow, but to no avail.

“Dammit.” Kuroo held his side, the coughing was making it ache.

Footsteps could be heard heading his way.

“Captain! There you are! Are you alright?” Shirabu asked worriedly, pulling Kuroo further away from the smoke.

Kuroo lightly pushed Shirabu away. “I’m alright, it’s just a smoke bomb.”

“Sir, what happened? Who did you engage in combat with?” Shirabu looked around but he saw no one else.

Kuroo smiled wide, a cough/chuckle escaping his lips. “The Shadow.”

* * *

 

“Shit, my ass hurts.” Tanaka whined. “Those damn Vigilantes arrived sooner than I expected. I landed on my ass hard.” He was lying on the couch in the living room massaging his bottom.

“Be grateful that you landed on your ass and not on your dick.” Tendou laughed.

Tanaka raised his head to stare confusedly at Tendou. “How the fuck would I land on my dick?”

“I’m just glad this is over with.” Kiyoko cleaned her glasses as she sat beside Kenma and Akaashi.

Terushima stretched his arms above his head. “I need a shower.”

“Same.” Nishinoya seconded.

“Settle down everyone.” Daichi said as he took the scabbard from Tsukishima who gladly handed it over to him.

“I’m gonna need to go to see a masseuse.” Tsukishima commented as he cracked his back.

Futakuchi laid a sheet over the coffee table as Daichi removed the Broadsword from its scabbard, lying it on top of the table.

Everyone huddled around it, eyes shining, and wide grins spread across their faces.

“So, boss, you found someone who wants to buy it?” Futakuchi asked.

Daichi nodded. “Yes. She’s willing to pay 250,000 xens for it.”

“Damn, boss! That means we each get 25,000 xens!” Terushima exclaimed.

“This calls for a celebration.” Daichi smiled.

They all cheered, Tendou bringing out the wine bottles to celebrate for a successful job and hopefully a successful transaction. Kiyoko turned on the record player, upbeat music filling the house as some of them danced along. Daichi sat down with Futakuchi as they talked about when to contact the buyer and where to meet up.

Tsukishima joined Akaashi and Kenma in the kitchen as they made themselves a snack.

“Hungry, Kei?” Kenma asked.

“No, just sore. I’m sure it’ll be worst tomorrow.” Tsukishima replied as he sat down at the table.

Akaashi set a sandwich in front of Tsukishima. “Eat.”

Tsukishima sighed but took a bite anyway. "Who turned off the power around the alley?"

"Me." Akaashi answered. “So, what’re you gonna say when you see the Captain tomorrow?”

“Thanks. He’s in the same state as I’m in.” Tsukishima swallowed another bite before continuing. “I really hope he cancels. I don’t think I can face him yet after tonight.”

“He’ll cancel.” Kenma said.

“You think so?” Tsukishima tilted his head.

“I’m sure he doesn’t want to go walking around showing everyone that he’s injured because then he’ll give criminals a reason to go out and cause havoc.”

Tsukishima thought back to their fight. He was honestly a little scared at first, he thought the Captain might have chopped off one of his limbs. It was actually kind of fun fighting Kuroo, especially since Tsukishima got to touch him a few times. He wondered how Kuroo was fairing right now, and if he didn’t see him tomorrow then hopefully he would soon. Tsukishima didn’t know what to do. He was a thief, he doubted Kuroo would accept him. If anything, the Captain would throw his ass in jail. From what happened tonight, Tsukishima could tell that Kuroo held something against him, the Shadow.

_Shit, what am I gonna do? How do I break off something that hasn’t even started? How can something that is barely starting to bloom make me feel so much?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oof i hope yall enjoyed it. i tried. im debating to see if i'll end it at 4 chapters or 5 after all. idk so we'll see.  
> if you wanna scream about kurotsukki, aizawa, shinsou, akutagawa, or w/e else then follow me!! [TWITTER](https://twitter.com/_theglasscastle)

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you all enjoyed it! Yeah, I'm not that great at writing action, sorry, I tried. This took so long to get out, damn work life & writer's block. It's not fair to have both. Please let me know what y'all think about it so far! :) Thank you for reading & I hope to be back soon!  
> P.s. Have any of you read SoC? If so, I just had to base Tsukki's skill like my best Suli girl. ❤
> 
>  
> 
> [Twitter](https://twitter.com/_theglasscastle)


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